Kemi Badenoch has opened a two-front political fight with Labour and Reform, accusing Andy Burnham of pursuing a “destructive socialist agenda” while ruling out any Conservative pact with Nigel Farage. Ahead of the Conservative conference in Birmingham, Badenoch said the Tories were preparing for an early election and presented her party as the alternative to Labour. She also attacked Burnham’s plans for electoral reform and his reopening of the debate over Britain’s relationship with the EU. Badenoch targets Burnham’s plans for power Badenoch accused Burnham of being obsessed with “Westminster bubble politics” and said his plans to move towards proportional representation were an attempt to “lock in the left”. Burnham has announced a national commission on electoral reform and said Labour would contest the next election with a manifesto commitment to change the voting system. The EU becomes another dividing line Badenoch also rejected the idea that Britain should move towards rejoining the EU, a customs union or the Single Market. She said closer cooperation with Brussels should be pursued where it served the national interest, but argued that rejoining would not solve Britain’s domestic problems. She described Burnham’s renewed EU debate as a distraction from the economy, jobs and other domestic pressures. Then she turned fire on Reform Badenoch gave a “cast-iron guarantee” that there would be no Conservative-Reform pact at the next election, saying the parties were fundamentally different. She said Conservatives who backed a deal risked alienating voters who would otherwise support the party. The stance sets up a direct contest for voters on the right while Badenoch insists the Tories must rebuild their own support rather than rely on an accommodation with Farage. The election battle is already taking shape Badenoch said she believed Burnham was preparing for an early election and that she was doing the same. Her intervention comes as Labour, Conservatives and Reform position themselves for a contest in which electoral reform, welfare, Brexit and the economy are becoming increasingly important dividing lines. For the Conservatives, the challenge is to establish a distinct position on both sides: opposing Burnham’s Labour while refusing to share a platform with Reform. Badenoch: Tories will turn tide on Burnham’s 'destructive socialist agenda'
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